Foundations Through the Classical Era: from Human Prehistory to Civilizations

Foundations through The Classical Era: From Human Prehistory to Civilizations

Name______Period_____

Walker AP World History Ch 1 Reading Study Guide #1 P. 8-18

1. What were some of the advantages of the discovery and use of fire by early humans?

2. According to recent research, when did humans likely enter the Western Hemisphere?

3. Name three or four of the characteristics that differentiate humans from all other species.

(Timeline P. 10)

4. When did humanlike species originate in Eastern Africa?

5. When did human species spread across the Eastern Hemisphere and develop fire use?

6. When did OUR species develop and displace all other human species?

7. When did farming develop?______Where?______

8. What innovations took place in the Middle East between 4000-3000 BCE?

9. When was the rise of Sumer (Mesopotamian Civilization)?_____ 10. Egyptian Civilization?_____

11. Harappan (Indus) Civilization?______12. Shang Dynasty?______

13. What was human life and technology like during the Paleolithic Age?

14. What proto-human species developed during this era?

15. Who are the Homo sapiens sapiens?

16. How did early humans deal with their fear of death?

17. According to Stearns, what was Paleolithic Man’s “greatest achievement”?

18. What are the years of the Mesolithic Age?

19. What new technologies and developments came about during the Mesolithic Age?

1 Foundations through The Classical Era: From Human Prehistory to Civilizations

20. Describe the population growth (use numbers please) due to the advent & acceptance of agriculture.

21. Why do scholars call the development of agriculture the Neolithic Revolution?

22. In what ways is it not a “revolution” at all?

23. In what ways is it truly revolutionary?

24. Why did many cultures and societies resist agriculture (some until very recently)?

25. Roughly speaking, when was the beginning of the Bronze Age?

26. How did the use of metals impact human existence?

27. Describe the process of ‘slash and burn’ agriculture.

28. Why did the first civilizations worthy of the name develop near rivers?

29. Briefly describe the settlement of Catal Huyuk.

30. What is civilization? (We will discuss this at length in class)

31. How did cuneiform and other forms of writing impact human existence?

32. Why did people living in civilizations look down upon so-called ‘barbarians’?

33. In what ways are these nomadic and barbarian cultures more “civilized” than civilizations?

34. Why do we focus our efforts on civilization rather than its alternatives as we study human history?